Microtonal Lab vs Continuo

Microtonal Lab is a complete microtonal music studio for iOS. Break free from the 12-note octave and explore the infinite space between the notes. AUv3 PLUGIN Use MicrotonalLab as a plugin inside GarageBand, AUM, Cubasis, Drambo, and any AUv3-compatible host. The full step sequencer, tuning system, and SF2 instruments are available directly in your DAW. Record sequences as MIDI regions with automatic tempo sync. HARMONIC GALAXY Discover musical intervals as a visual universe. Every dot is an interval above the root — its size shows consonance, its color shows its position in the octave, and its number shows the exact distance in cents. Pinch to zoom and new microtones emerge from the depths. Build custom scales by tapping intervals and save them to your library. MICROTONAL KEYBOARD A fully playable keyboard with exact microtonal tuning. Choose from piano, strings, marimba, vibes, bass, pad, flute, or synthesized waveforms. Activate any scale from the library and the keyboard reconfigures to show precisely those notes. Supports glide between notes for expressive playing. STEP SEQUENCER A 16-step sequencer with microtonal note assignment per step, velocity, gate, and swing control. Syncs to the host tempo in AUv3 mode. LAUNCHPAD A grid-based launchpad for live performance. Rows correspond to scale degrees, columns to time — tap to toggle notes and play your patterns in real time. SCALE LIBRARY Browse world scales from dozens of musical traditions, including Arabic maqam, Indian ragas, Persian dastgah, Javanese gamelan, and many more. Preview any scale, then activate it across all views with one tap. TUNING SYSTEMS Switch between 12-TET, 19-TET, 24-TET, 31-TET, and 53-TET. Full access to all scale degrees in the sequencer for every tuning system. MIDI EXPORT Export your sequences to standard MIDI files with full microtonal pitch bend on each channel. Import directly into any DAW for further production. FX Filter (low-pass with cutoff and resonance), reverb (from small room to cathedral), and delay — all controllable via XY pads in real time during playback. Microtonal Lab is built for composers, sound designers, music theorists, and anyone curious about the music that lives between the keys.

Type the changes. Get the bassline. Most bassline tools ask you for a scale. Continuo asks for your chords. Type a progression — slash chords and all — pick a style, and Continuo writes a line that actually plays those changes: chord tones on the strong beats, approach notes into the next chord, and a register that sits where a bass player would sit. HOW IT WORKS • Type your changes one bar at a time, separated by | — or start from one of 18 built-in sets: 12-bar blues, rhythm changes, ii-V-I, doo-wop, montuno vamp, bossa turnaround, 7/8 vamp and more. • Slash chords like Am/C pin the bass note, so the line plays exactly what you wrote. • Pick a style, then shape it: Density (sparse to busy), Motion (plain roots to passing and chromatic tones), and Swing (straight to triplet). • Tap Next take to cycle through ranked alternatives, best first. Tap any chord in the strip to swap, move, or stretch it — the line rewrites around your edit. • Undo steps back over anything that changed the line — an edit, a preset, an import, a take, even a slider. WHAT'S INSIDE • Seven styles: root and fifth, walking, funk/R&B, tumbao, bossa nova, reggae one-drop, and Motown. • Seven instruments that change what gets played, not just the tone: 4-, 5- and 6-string bass guitar, upright, 808/sub, synth bass, and chiptune. • Any time signature — 4/4, 3/4, 6/8, 9/8, 12/8, 5/4, 7/8, 5/8, 11/8 and more. Every style works in every meter. • Import changes from a MIDI or MusicXML file. • MIDI export, optionally with a reference chord track — plus MusicXML with chord symbols for MuseScore, Sibelius, Dorico, and Finale. • A bass-clef notation preview with chord symbols. • Fully offline. No account, no sign-in, no ads, no in-app purchases. • Private by design — Continuo collects nothing. Your music never leaves your device unless you export it. Continuo is by Songdeed. Pairs with Mediant, our chord-progression app.